Overcoming Voices of Discouragement

Throughout Scripture, the Lord asked and required some pretty radical steps of obedience from His followers in the midst of hardship. For David, it looked like facing the very giant that the rest of Israel fled from with only five small stones in his hand. For Joshua, it looked like marching around a walled city for a week straight. For Moses, it required him to lead well over a million people toward a body of water while Pharaoh’s army chased after them. And chances are, although David, Joshua, and Moses could move forward in faith and obedience because of the Lord’s word and promise to them, many people around these men likely didn’t see the circumstances the same way. It’s probable that others thought these men may have been senseless to act in such ways.

The truth is that when the Lord speaks to us or is at work in our lives, it is quite unlikely that everyone around us will understand the depth of what is happening. Some may question our motives while others will think we are a little too extreme. But the reality is that when the Lord chooses to do a work in us and through us, we must be willing to press on, regardless of the thoughts and opinions of others. 

The Example of Hannah

Such was the case for Hannah, the mother of Samuel. 1 Samuel 1 tells the story of Hannah going to Shiloh to offer worship and sacrifice to the Lord with her husband and his other wife. Scripture tells us that Hannah was barren and details the great weight and burden this placed upon her. It caused her much distress and many tears. I am led to believe that Hannah knew that there was more that the Lord had for her and that barrenness was not the end of her story. I have to wonder if it was the Lord Himself who provoked a cry to come through Hannah which in turn caused Samuel to be born. In Exodus 23:26, the Lord says: “None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.” Perhaps this was the very promise that Hannah was clinging onto. 

As Hannah bore the weight of this all, there were those around her who clearly did not understand the depth of what was happening inside of her. There were voices of discouragement that began to come against her as she pressed into what she knew to be her inheritance in the Lord. Scripture shows us three different responses that various people had to Hannah’s cry to the Lord for a child. 

Interestingly enough, the voices that spoke words of discouragement to her were some of the people that were closest to her and held much influence. Sometimes the same holds true in our lives. Although people around us often have good intentions, sometimes their responses to the Lord at work is not the voice of encouragement we need. I do not say these things to be negative. In fact, it has been in some of the most trying times of walking out my faith that those around me have spoken a true word of encouragement that was from God Himself. However, I think it is important to acknowledge the fact that we need to be aware of the voices around us that are speaking into our lives and situations. 

Three Voices of Discouragement

Below are the three voices of discouragement that Hannah faced in the midst of her trial: 

• • Mocking: 1 Samuel 1:6 notes that Peninnah, the other wife, would provoke Hannah, to the point that she would weep and not eat while at the house of the Lord. The words spoken to Hannah were likely ones reminding her of her barrenness and the unfulfilled promise of the Lord to give her children. In the original Hebrew language, the word ‘provoke’ means to ‘irritate, grieve, disturb.’ The words that Peninnah spoke to Hannah were ones that caused great distress and grief to her soul. In the same way, there can be times where there are voices that will provoke and mock us when there has yet to be the fulfillment of a promise. 

• • Minimizing: Hannah’s husband, Elkanah, downplayed the weight of what Hannah was longing and contending for. In verse 8 he says, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” He was quick to discredit and minimize the desire that was within Hannah for children and in that place, he offered a substitute, suggesting that he was better than having ten sons. In times of adversity, we can face voices that question and minimize what the Lord has called us to do and offer a subtle substitute to settle for less. 

• • Misunderstanding: As Hannah prayed and wept before the Lord, Eli the priest observed her. In verse 14, Eli completely misinterprets what is happening, as he accuses Hannah of being drunk. Hannah gracefully tells him that she is not drunk, but has rather ‘poured out my soul before the Lord.’ As we seek to walk in obedience to the Lord, there are going to be others who misunderstand us and may even mislabel us. 

Pursuing the Voice of Truth

The beauty in this story is that Hannah pushed past the voices that mocked, minimized, and misunderstood her. She could have chosen to partner with the voices that came against her. She could have come into agreement with the reality that the promise of children had yet to be fulfilled and accepted that as her lot. She could have settled for the fact that she had a husband to spend her days with and stopped praying for a child. Yet Hannah knew there was more that the Lord had for her and as she pressed into Him and His promise, He heard her and answered her prayer for a son.

As we walk in faith and obedience to what the Lord has called us to, we must be aware of the voices that we entertain. It is in these times that we must exercise increased discernment so as to know the difference between God’s voice and the voice of the enemy that seeks to discourage and cause doubt within us. In John 16:13, Jesus tells us that when the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth comes, that He will guide us into all truth. Because of this, it is imperative that we know His voice so as to know His perspective in the midst of trials. As we root ourselves in the truth of Scripture and surround ourselves with others who will speak truth and be voices of genuine encouragement to us, we will be able to press on through times of adversity and see the fullness and fulfillment of God’s promise to us.